


All Around the Mulberry Bush

by RADifer



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam is So Done, Baby Keith (Voltron), Goosebumps sort of horror, Happy Birthday Keith (Voltron), I'm late I know, Keithtober 2019, LAMPE, M/M, Shiro (Voltron) is a Dork, Shiro (Voltron) is a Good Parent, Silk - Freeform, Spiders, Voltron Fanficers, mothman au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 07:23:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21193832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RADifer/pseuds/RADifer
Summary: Carefully, Shiro made his way through the underbrush, flicking his light about to see where he was stepping. The eyes blinked at him in odd intervals, but it was enough to show him which direction he needed to go. After tripping over four large roots, Shiro came across a clearing.A clearing with a single mulberry bush.He approached it slowly, flashlight trained on the bush. The eyes were blinking rapidly, now, and a high pitched squeal pierced the air.M̴̧͇͚͙̒̉̈̈̑ͅö̵̧͚̜̥̦̓͝m̷̘̘̯̟̓̽̆͌͛m̵̨͙̼̻̮͖̺̱̘͛̾̾͠ä̷̯͉́͐̋͘?̸̛̩̟̘̇͐̋ ̷̛̭̹͕̯̜̫͌͛͒̄͝M̶͕̹͉̬̱̫̺̮̃ö̷̗̳̠͙̟̱͚̞͂̆̈̍̈́̔̄̈́̽̚m̶̫̫̯̄͒̍̍̈́̏͗̌͝ḿ̵͎̌͛͗̑ä̵̡̨̛̝̺͔̬͉͒̓̔͊?̴͈̭͎̳̋͆̾ ̶̢͍̱͕̞̪͔͋̇͗̐͋̕͝W̷̟͖̬̥͕̊͋́̎̏͝ḩ̵̮̼̣̘̳͒̂̈̐͌ͅë̷̡̢͙͖̩̻̫͂̈́͂͝ͅr̵̪͋̾̓́̇̕ë̸̡̝͕̍ ̸̡̙͉̩̐̓̍ǟ̷̩̬̣̄̃̒͜r̶͍̟͠ȩ̷͓͕͓̖̈̒͗ ̶̡̡̜̰̟̐̈̃̔̉͐͑͘͝ͅẏ̸̪̲̻͕̫̣̭̭͉̤̉͠͝ö̸̟̓̋̀̑̚ü̴̖͕̣̟͖͐̄̃̋?̴̙̱͕̬̪̫́́̏̊̕̚ ̷̡̗̠̖̺͔̲̻̮̆͗̐̐̏̄̉́̚͜͝Ï̸̢͍̄̓̑̈́͘'̸̨̫̤̬̝̖̦̎̀͌̓̇̓͊̍̏̚m̴̛̯̳̥̻̖̠̗̜͕̽͌̋̔̿̃̂̿̚͜ ̴̧̹̱̐̋̈́̈́͝s̸̬̭̈̾̄͗͠c̸̨̢̧̺̘͗̌̇͗̈ä̴̞͖̲̻͋̅̑r̷̨̡̛̩̠̔̒̄̔͆͒̔͠ȩ̸̛͇̠̞̯͇̻̞̞̈̅̐͊̈́̈͛͜ḑ̶̡͔̦̹̠̀̊̋͜!̴̧̛̖͖̳͕̳̫̭̟̈́̿͜---One month of living together. One month of peace and quiet until Shiro finds a strange child in the woods and brings it- him!- home. Adam, begrudgingly, agrees to become a temporary parent to the winged moth-boy.





	All Around the Mulberry Bush

**Author's Note:**

> So! Happy Birthday Keith! I made you a present! It's a fic!
> 
> This is for the Voltron Fanfic-ers 2019 Mothbang, so, if you found this outside of our collection, please check it out! 
> 
> Also, I post monthly updates of my fic plans on my Ko-Fi! I go by the same name, and there is a link on my profile! So please check that out!!
> 
> Happy Halloween everyone! May your new year be blessed with a bountiful harvest! )o(

“--and heavy rains are predicted to continue long into the evening. High-velocity winds-”

“Isn’t it a little late for hurricane season?” Shiro asked over the crackling radio. He and Adam sat curled up on the couch, watching the rain pour outside their cabin window. 

“It’s supposed to stay a tropical storm,” Adam answered as he pulled their blanket over his shoulders, snuggling into Shiro’s side. “Deborah also said that it’s going to clear off a bit by morning.”

“Who’s Deborah?” 

“I named the weather lady.” 

Shiro chuckled, idly wondering if she ever mentioned her name on a broadcast, but recalled nothing. Deborah it was, he supposed, and added it to the list of radio anons Adam named. 

His gaze shifted from the window to the man in his arms. Mr. Adam Wright, whose name was due for a change within the coming months, had finally moved in. Work kept pushing the date back, but they did it. They were about to pass their monthiversary (as Adam’s niece, Veronica, kept calling it) of living together, which solidified their relationship even more. 

Despite the poor weather, Shiro was happy. Happy, content, and a little thirsty. He squirmed under Adam’s weight, attempting to push his fiance off of him just enough to move. Adam only latched on to his torso tighter. 

“Tea, babe?” 

Adam lifted his head at Shiro’s inquiry, pursing his lips in thought. He shrugged and let go. “Raspberry?”

Shiro nodded, as if in understanding, then quickly smushed his lips to Adam’s cheek and gave him one. 

Adam screeched, flailing to escape from his lover’s embrace. “Agh, just go!” he said with a few light smacks to Shiro’s arm, laughing.

“Alright, alright!” 

Shiro let go and vaulted over the back of the couch, landing on the squeaky, old floorboards. He barely registered Adam’s usual “Takashi!” (an admonishment he hears at  _ least _ once a day) as he made his way to the kitchenette next to the front door. 

A crack of lightning lit up the cabin; the sound of thunder shook the windows in their panes. Shiro flinched before looking out the small window over the sink.  _ Let up by morning _ , he reminded himself, sarcasm filtering into his countenance. The storm only appeared to be spurred on by the mortals’ hopes for a clear day ahead, clouds piling up on each other in a rage. The red light of the dying sun enhanced the dark grey clouds with its angry glow. 

Shiro busied himself with the kettle, boiling enough water for two cups, and gathered the tea supplies. He was distracted, though, by another flash of light from outside the window. He waited for that telling crack and rumble of thunder, but it never came. Instead, it grew from a dim blink to a searing fire piercing the dark. 

“Uh, Adam?” 

Adam, having seen it from the other window, hopped off the couch and rushed to his side. He squinted, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes and run a hand down the side of his face. 

He hummed. “Shooting star?” 

“I don’t think that’s-”

Something exploded outside the cabin, making the whole thing shake. Adam latched onto Shiro's arm tightly to balance himself and cried out. Within minutes the light was gone silence fell. 

"What the fuck was that?" Adam asked no one in particular. He peered up at Shiro and gauged his reaction. "Takashi?" 

Shiro was quiet for a moment. He chewed his bottom lip in thought before huffing out a sigh. "I'm going out there," he announced. 

Adam shook his head. "Takashi, are you crazy? Whatever  _ that _ was can't be good." 

"That's exactly why I'm going," Shiro said as he removed himself from Adam's grasp. "I'm the ranger in this park; I need to do something." 

  
  


The kettle squealed as he pulled on his boots and set for the door. Adam rushed to hush it and called after him, "Don't you dare die out there just months before our wedding!" 

"I won't!" Shiro replied and shut the door behind him. 

* * *

Shiro pulled the hood of his raincoat further over his head. The cold rain pelted him, making it harder to see where he was going despite the ray of his flashlight. He stayed on the trail, scouring the edges of the forest for any possible anomalies, but found nothing remotely akin to that… whatever it was. Explosion? 

The sudden sound of rustling leaves alerted his attention. He swung around, arm in front of him in case he needed to block an attack, and pointed the flashlight at the underbrush. The rustling stopped. He stepped closer, pulling back a branch to inspect it when a knot of snakes burst out of the foliage and slithered around his feet. Shiro yelped and dodged out of the way, but the snakes didn't follow him. They continued onto the other side of the trail and out of sight. 

Shiro released the breath he was holding. He considered turning back and heading down the trail back to the cabin, but glanced in the direction the snakes had come to see two faint red eyes peering in his direction. His heart stopped, and he shakily raised his flashlight to illuminate it. The eyes blinked out of existence. 

_ Shit, what do I do? _ Shiro stood still for another minute, racking his brain for an answer. Should he investigate? It was his job after all. He was lucky to have this job in the first place, thanks to Adam's father, and didn't want to screw that up. 

But if he did and he did get killed by whatever it was out there, Adam would raise him from the dead just to kill him again. And he really didn't want that. 

  
  


_ M̸̢̯̞͉̟̩̙͇̱̫̎̉ö̵̤̖̹̿͌͋̈ḿ̴͙̄͐̾͌̚͘m̵̘̪̬͚̏̎ä̵̛̙̂̓̋̌̏̄?̶̯̾͐͗̍̂͠ _

  
  


It was small. Barely heard above the white noise of the rain and drifting on the wind. Shiro had no clue what it was, but it almost sounded like a child. A toddler at best. 

It came from the direction of the eyes. 

He had no choice now. 

Carefully, Shiro made his way through the underbrush, flicking his light about to see where he was stepping. The eyes blinked at him in odd intervals, but it was enough to show him which direction he needed to go. After tripping over four large roots, Shiro came across a clearing. 

A clearing with a single mulberry bush. 

He approached it slowly, flashlight trained on the bush. The eyes were blinking rapidly, now, and a high pitched squeal pierced the air. 

_ M̴̧͇͚͙̒̉̈̈̑ͅö̵̧͚̜̥̦̓͝m̷̘̘̯̟̓̽̆͌͛m̵̨͙̼̻̮͖̺̱̘͛̾̾͠ä̷̯͉́͐̋͘?̸̛̩̟̘̇͐̋ ̷̛̭̹͕̯̜̫͌͛͒̄͝M̶͕̹͉̬̱̫̺̮̃ö̷̗̳̠͙̟̱͚̞͂̆̈̍̈́̔̄̈́̽̚m̶̫̫̯̄͒̍̍̈́̏͗̌͝ḿ̵͎̌͛͗̑ä̵̡̨̛̝̺͔̬͉͒̓̔͊?̴͈̭͎̳̋͆̾ ̶̢͍̱͕̞̪͔͋̇͗̐͋̕͝W̷̟͖̬̥͕̊͋́̎̏͝ḩ̵̮̼̣̘̳͒̂̈̐͌ͅë̷̡̢͙͖̩̻̫͂̈́͂͝ͅr̵̪͋̾̓́̇̕ë̸̡̝͕̍ ̸̡̙͉̩̐̓̍ǟ̷̩̬̣̄̃̒͜r̶͍̟͠ȩ̷͓͕͓̖̈̒͗ ̶̡̡̜̰̟̐̈̃̔̉͐͑͘͝ͅẏ̸̪̲̻͕̫̣̭̭͉̤̉͠͝ö̸̟̓̋̀̑̚ü̴̖͕̣̟͖͐̄̃̋?̴̙̱͕̬̪̫́́̏̊̕̚ ̷̡̗̠̖̺͔̲̻̮̆͗̐̐̏̄̉́̚͜͝Ï̸̢͍̄̓̑̈́͘'̸̨̫̤̬̝̖̦̎̀͌̓̇̓͊̍̏̚m̴̛̯̳̥̻̖̠̗̜͕̽͌̋̔̿̃̂̿̚͜ ̴̧̹̱̐̋̈́̈́͝s̸̬̭̈̾̄͗͠c̸̨̢̧̺̘͗̌̇͗̈ä̴̞͖̲̻͋̅̑r̷̨̡̛̩̠̔̒̄̔͆͒̔͠ȩ̸̛͇̠̞̯͇̻̞̞̈̅̐͊̈́̈͛͜ḑ̶̡͔̦̹̠̀̊̋͜!̴̧̛̖͖̳͕̳̫̭̟̈́̿͜ _

Shiro dropped to his knees and pushed back some of the branches, wincing as the squealing grew more frantic and loud. Inside he saw a child, as he expected, with large red eyes and deep black hair. He (Shiro assumed) was wearing a fluffy blanket. 

"Hey, hey," he muttered, attempting to soothe the child, "it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." 

The child kept screaming and started to writhe under his blanket. Shiro saw his feet poke out from underneath, bare and pale. He took a mental note of the positioning and guessed the child was indeed a toddler, considering his size. No more than three or four years old. Shiro attempted to soothe him again, this time reaching into the bush, but this only scared the boy more, and his arms broke free of his blanket and- 

It wasn't a blanket. 

The boy tore out of the bush, unfolding his wings and flew into the air. He only made it a few feet off the ground before falling back down with another scream. 

Despite his shock, the scream of pain that burst from the tiny creature had him jumping into action. Shiro dove towards it and gave it a once over, finding the wing to be broken and torn in multiple places. 

"Hey," Shiro said, placing his hand on the creature's back softly. "I don't know what you are or what happened but you're safe with me. Let me help you." 

It wasn't human. Hell, Shiro had no clue what it was, but looking into its tear-filled eyes, he knew it was a child. And that was good enough for him. His heart broke as it cried onto the cold ground, eventually either crying itself to sleep or passing out from pain. Again, Shiro didn't know. 

He scooped it up in his arms, careful not to damage the wings any more than they were.  _ Him,  _ he corrected himself,  _ no point in calling him an "it" with that face.  _

Shiro returned to the cabin with the strange bundle in his arms, confused more than ever. 

* * *

"Oh no! You cannot seriously be considering keeping that thing!" Adam whisper-shouted from across the counter. 

Three days had passed since Shiro brought home… well, he hadn't named the kid yet. He had no clue what to call him really. He hadn't woken up yet and was still an enigma to the couple. 

"You always said you wanted children." Shiro shrugged, munching a piece of toast. 

" _ Human children _ , Takashi. Ones we adopt from foster care or something. Not-not whatever that is!" Adam flung his arms in the general direction of the office-now-turned-creature-room. 

" _ He's  _ a boy, Adam." 

"And how on earth do you know that?" 

"The kid was naked when I found him, darling." 

"That just makes the whole thing worse!" 

"I know right? Children shouldn't be hiding naked in mulberry bushes in autumn storms." 

"Not what I meant. 

Shiro sighed, pushing his plate away from him and giving a pointed stare at his lover. "Adam, listen. I have no clue what all this is. All I know is I see a kid in pain and screaming, so I want to help. Your father put me in charge of taking care of this park and all its inhabitants. If that includes winged humanoids, so be it." 

Adam glared at him. It didn't hold. "Takashi, you know I love your devoutness to your ethics, but this is going too far. That  _ boy  _ in there could kill us, for all you know." 

Shiro shuffled in his seat. He glanced towards the hallway leading to the back of the cabin, thinking about those large, teary eyes. 

"I don't think he will. Right now he can't, but even so. He was scared, Adam. If you were there, you'd see." 

Adam groaned and shook his head. "This is-" 

  
  


_ Ṁ̴͇̗͍̬̙̉̿̓̍̑̀ö̴̳̳͍͍͙̃̚͝m̷̡͔̗̹̙̤̿̂̆̇̽͊m̵̢̯̰̾̈̇́̎͐͊̊͜ä̷̙̦͈͓̔͛̈́̋̄̀̒?̶͚̦̲͚̾́̄͒̐̅͝ _

  
  


Adam paled. Shiro stumbled to his feet and hurried to the office space. He opened the door to see the boy sitting up in the makeshift bed, staring wide-eyed about the room. He immediately pressed himself against the wall when he saw Shiro. 

"No, no! It's alright, I won't hurt you." 

The boy didn't listen, stretching out his wings to take flight once more, but flinched in pain. He looked at his tattered wing to find it wrapped up in bandages. He started to breathe heavily, and Shiro could tell he was on the verge of hyperventilating. 

Shiro slowly got down on his level, sitting on the floor cross-legged. Boxes littered the floor, still waiting to be unpacked from Adam's move, and blocked Shiro's view of the boy slightly. He could still see the tips of his wings and his dark, matted hair. He dropped his volume and shushed him gently. He repeated the phrase "it's okay, breathe" a few times, unsure if the boy could even understand him, nevertheless his efforts had positive results. 

The boy steadied his breathing, but tears sprung out of his eyes. He began to cry, his wails coming out in hiccups. Shiro supposed it was better than the other option. He inched forward, little by little. Whenever the boy flinched or backed away against the wall, he stopped and waited a few minutes for him to get comfortable. Soon he was within arm's reach, but Shiro didn't attempt to touch him. 

"Hey, can you understand me?" He asked quietly. 

The boy stared at him, hands in his lap. 

Shiro twisted his mouth and taped the floor with his fingers. There was a language barrier here, and he didn't think Google Translate would help. A floorboard squeaked behind him, and he turned to see Adam peering in from around the doorframe. The boy yelped, and Shiro gave Adam a frantic look. 

"Tarzan him," Adam said. She's expression shifted from panicked to unimpressed, so Adam added quickly, "Offer your name. Also, look more inviting. You look like a big scary man." 

"Thanks, sweetheart," Shiro drawled sarcastically. He returned his attention to the boy, placing a hand over his chest. "Shiro," he said. 

The boy glanced between Shiro and Adam, pulling the blanket over his head and whimpering. 

"See, big scary man." 

Shiro glared, standing up and ushering Adam back to the living area. "We'll try again later." 

  
  


Later was after dinner. 

"I tried feeding him, even did the plane trick. He spat at me." 

Adam puffed offendedly. "Kid obviously doesn't know good food when it's placed in front of him." He turned back to the chili pot, turning off the burner and reaching for his Harry Potter potholders. "Well," he said, picking up the pot and bringing it to the sink, "looks like you'll be eating his- and  _ your _ leftovers later." He turned on the faucet, filling the pot with hot water to let it soak. 

"Of course." 

Shiro never did eat the leftovers. 

Instead, he grabbed a few Oreos from the cabinet and a glass of milk, hoping that sweets might do the trick. 

He peeked in the room to see the winged child staring at the box in front of his bed. His eyes were squinted and jaw set. Whatever he was focused on, he was focusing on it hard. 

"Hey," Shiro called softly. The boy jerked up and flung himself to the wall. "No, no. Just checking up on you." 

The boy's suspicious gaze followed him as he sat on the floor beside him. He didn't remove himself from the wall. Shiro smiled, trying to have it mirror in his eyes but it didn't quite make it. He couldn't help but be worried. 

"Would you like an oreo?" He asked, offering a cookie. 

The boy stared at the cookie, contemplating, before speaking. 

  
  


_ Ò̴̡͍͇̤̖̻͕̯̤̱̚ŗ̴͇̪̬͓̰͔͋͂̊̂̂̽͑̈́̎e̷̡̢̟̙̲͆͝͝ọ̷̦̺̜̻̺̆́.̸̰̥̻̤̤͛̑̿̆͝͠ _

  
  


Shiro blinked. It almost sounded like English, whatever the child said. He decided to try repeating his words, in case that the boy was indeed mimicking him, and see if he could get answers that way. 

"Oreo." 

The boy pouted, which was incredibly adorable in Shiro's book, and mouthed the word slower. 

_ "Örëö."  _

"Yes, oreo!" Shiro said excitedly. He handed the cookie to the boy, who actually took it. 

_ "Örëö,"  _ he said and threw the cookie at the box. 

"Well, that's not what it's for but okay." 

Shiro picked up the cookie and put it back on his plate. He regarded the boy once more, who looked pretty proud of his cookie throwing and decided to try introductions again. Perhaps with a treat incentive, he could break through.

Shiro placed his hand on his chest again, tapping it as he said, "Shiro." 

The boy stared at him at first, then repeated.  _ "Shïrö."  _

Shiro nodded, saying his name again. He handed the boy a cookie. 

The boy smiled.  _ "Shïrö!" _ He said and threw the cookie at Shiro's face. 

_ Okay, that's not working _ , Shiro thought with grunt. Luckily, it hit him in the forehead and not the eye. He rubbed the wounded spot and pushed the snacks out of the way. The boy was smiling, completely oblivious to the fact he just assaulted his savior with a cookie. 

Then it dawned on him. The boy was probably associating with whatever word Shiro said with the cookie. It didn't explain his incessant need to throw things, but it was a start. 

Shiro gently grabbed the boy's hand and placed it on his chest, right over his heart. "Shiro," he said, hopefully for the final time. 

_ "Shïrö _ ." 

It landed. 

The boy's eyes brightened and he repeated Shiro's name over and over in excitement. He then grabbed Shiro's hand and placed it over his shirt. 

_ "Yöräk."  _

  
  


"He said his name was Yorak." The name tumbled off Shiro's tongue awkwardly, and he frowned to himself. Adam crawled into bed, freshly showered, and wrapped his leg over Shiro's knee, latching onto his torso. 

"We cannot call him that," Adam said with a sigh. His head dropped against his fiancé's chest. He wanted sleep. Not conversation. 

Shiro rubbed his hand over his back, massaging little circles into it. Otherwise, he was distracted, using his free hand to talk. "And why not? That's what he said. Wouldn't it be disrespectful not to call him by his real name?"

"Fine," Adam grumbled, "we can call him that here, but, as long as he stays with us, he needs a human name." 

"Who are we going to talk to about him?" Shiro asked. 

"No one, but people will get suspicious. We live in a small town, love. The lady at the thrift store where I got him those pajamas immediately started asking who I was shopping for- I think she was trying to see if I was single- and I had to make up a whole story about buying them for my nephew. We can't keep him a secret if he's here too long. We'll need a name for him." 

The reason was sound, but Shiro still didn't like it. He recalled his own childhood, being picked on for his name and given plenty of more "American" nicknames. But, as much as he wanted to respect him, there was more danger in Yorak being Yorak. 

"Then what should we call him?" 

Adam was quiet for a moment, and Shiro thought he'd fallen asleep, but eventually answered. "I like Keith. He looks like a Keith." 

Shiro didn't mind that. 

"Sure. We'll call him Keith." 

* * *

A loud scream shook the cabin. Adam jerked awake, falling into the floor as he did so. Shiro sat up, plugging his ears with his fingers. 

"What is that?" Adam shouted over the noise. He grasped the edge of the bed and pulled himself up to his knees. 

"I think that's Yo-Keith," Shiro said as he clambered out of bed. He stumbled through the dark, rushing to Keith's room. 

Keith's screams echoed through the hallway. Behind each shriek was a sob, and Shiro pieced together he was scared. He prayed that it was just that it was his first night in a new place while he wasn't unconscious. 

When he pushed the door open, he saw Keith's silhouette hovering mid-air, one wing flapping furiously while the other hung limp. He fell to the ground with a loud, terrifying  _ thunk! _ He tried again to get off the ground and away from the corner he was in, but fell hard. Shiro ran inside and caught him before he landed on his wing a final time. 

Keith struggled to get out of his grasp until he looked up and saw it was him. As soon as their eyes met, he shoved his face into Shiro's shoulder and cried. 

"Hey, hey, buddy what's the matter?" Shiro soothed as he sidestepped to the light switch. Once it was on, Keith groaned a little, hiding his eyes from the light. 

  
  


_ R̶̨̢̭̤̻͉̦̫̅̂͋̊̔̅̈́͠ă̶̧̮̗̫͈͇͎͇̯̟c̷̡͚̞̬̜̥̝̐̂̾̑̆͒̂̈͝͝h̸͔̿͊n̷̨̡̛̻͚͚͚̣͆̄̅̄͛̇i̵̧̛̛̱͖̩̇͒́̔͝.̸̧̢̭̹̭̈̊̆͐̈̾̃͋̚ _

  
  


Shiro rubbed his back in an attempt to calm him down. He racked his brains to decipher the words Keith kept repeating, but couldn't figure it out. "Did something scare you?" He asked. 

Keith kept repeating the same, unintelligible language. Shiro waited a moment until he managed to get Keith to look at him. 

"Bad dream?" He asked, removing his hand from Keith's back and tapping the side of his head. 

Keith stared at him, just as confused, and then shook his head. He twisted in Shiro's grip and pointed to the box that stood in front of his bed, the same one he was glaring at earlier. 

_ "Bäd,"  _ he said with a wobble in his voice. 

"Bad," Shiro muttered, looking at the box. "Bad box. Okay," he said as he set Keith gently down on the floor, "let me check it out. Stay right there." 

He could feel Keith's gaze watching him as he tiptoed around the boxes and through the clutter. The stare was almost palpable, and Shiro wondered if it had anything to do with his inhumanness. He abandoned that train of thought when he stepped in front of the accused "bad box." 

He recognized the cobweb pattern on the sides. It was Adam's Halloween box with decorations and, Shiro was sure, some old candy Adam never got around to eating the previous year. He watched Adam pack it up himself before he moved in. 

Shiro knelt down to get a closer look. He wasn't sure what he was looking for and almost gave up. A pipe cleaner stuck out of the top, and Shiro pushed it back in before returning to Keith, but the pipe cleaner jerked. 

A wolf spider crawled out of the open top. 

Shiro flinched and held back a yell of his own, eyes darting to Keith, who looked as if he was about to take flight again. Swallowing his surprise and fear, he scanned the room for something to kill the fuzzy fucker with. 

An old shoe lay face down on top of another box. He snatched it and brought it down on the spider in one fell swoop. 

It squished with a crunch. 

It was definitely a mess to clean up, but Shiro decided to wait until morning. So, he lifted Keith's bed, which was just another box with pillows and blankets, in one arm, and picked Keith up with the other. Keith was shivering. 

Adam didn't question him as Shiro set the box down beside his side of the bed, nor did he question what happened. He just shrugged and scooted back under the covers. 

Shiro examined Keith's wing. It wasn't broken, but it was swollen. Probably a sprain. Keith whimpered as he handled it.

"I'm sorry, Keith," he whispered, tucking a strand of dark hair behind his ear. Keith sniffed. Shiro gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you, okay?" 

Keith nodded as if he understood him. Shiro hoped he did. Not knowing what else to do, Shiro kissed his forehead and helped him lay down comfortably. 

The following nights, after being moved back to his room, Keith grew progressively more scared of the dark. After the third night of him sleeping with the light on in his room, Adam caved and bought him a monkey night light at the thrift store. 

Keith adored the light, repeating  _ "Lämpë _ " over and over until Adam wanted to pull his hair out. Shiro laughed and taught him what sounds a monkey made. 

"You are not helping Takashi!"

* * *

It took a few days- almost a week- of coaxing to convince Keith out of his proverbial shell. While Shiro was able to make some ground in gaining Keith's trust following the spider incident, he was still shy when it came to human interaction. Not only that, but he refused to eat, which set off all sorts of alarm bells for Shiro. No matter what they tried to feed him, he refused, pushing his plate to the side and not even looking at it. 

Adam even tried his grandmother's gumbo recipe, which was a hit with anyone who smelled it, but that was a bust with their picky audience as well. 

  
  


On the bright side, Keith's speech was getting better. He was able to say a string of words to make his needs known. Naturally, the one he called out to was Shiro, and his requests were akin to: 

_ "Shïrö, cöld." _

_ "Shïrö, wët."  _ (Teaching him how to use a toilet took a bit longer than they liked.) 

Simple phrases, but they worked. Even though he had a lilt of an accent from whatever language he was speaking when found, Keith made himself clear. 

Shiro was just praying that he'd one day call out  _ "Shïrö, hüngër" _ and assuage the rest of his base worries.

One day, though, he did surprise him. 

_ "Shïrö?"  _ Keith called from his makeshift bed. He was staring at a colorful, red and blue box with gold designs. Adam found it at a thrift store and got it for him, knowing full well what it was, and thought Keith would get a kick out of turning the crank. 

Shiro was in the room in under a minute. He sat down on the floor beside Keith before asking what he needed. 

_ "Söünd?"  _ Keith held the box near Shiro's face and turned the crank. He seemed to be curious about its music. 

"You want to know what the sound your Jack-in-the-box is making?" Shiro asked, amused. He took the box out of Keith's tiny hands and cranked the lever. "It's a song," he explained. "Music."

Keith blinked, narrowing his dull red eyes at the box. Shiro had noticed their vibrancy had begun to fade. It was as if they were greying. 

_ "Müsïc?"  _ Keith repeated. 

"Yeah," Shiro continued to play the Jack-in-the-box's tune, this time singing along:

"All around the mulberry bush

The monkey chased the weasel

The monkey thought 'twas all in fun

Pop!-" 

The jesters head popped out of the box, making Keith and Shiro both jump in their seats. Keith giggled. 

"-Goes the weasel!" Shiro finished, leaning into the small giggling boy with a smile on his own. He chuckled and kissed him on the head. 

Suddenly, Keith vaulted out of bed and to the window. 

_ "Shïrö! Mülbërrŷ! Mülbërrŷ, Shïrö!"  _

"You… you want mulberries?" Shiro was having difficulty understanding the particular request. Keith kept jumping up and down with his hands on the windowsill, attempting to look out. There wasn't enough room for all his excitement, and he bumped his bandaged wing into a stray box. Keith wailed, and Shiro took him in his arms. 

"Shhh," he soothed, "it's okay buddy. Lemme look at it. We really need to get these boxes out of your room." Shiro checked under the bandages, finding nothing bleeding. The inner part still had tears in it that didn't look like they'd heal completely. He sighed and wrapped the wing back up. 

"Sore isn't it?" He asked, petting Keith's long hair. He was just waiting for Adam to take a pair of scissors to it. 

Keith looked up at him and then pressed his face into his chest. Shiro tightened his hug. 

"We don't have mulberries, but I do think we have some jam," he said, putting some distance between them so he could look Keith in the eye. A curious twinkle entered Keith's eye, and Shiro got to his feet to lead him to the kitchen. 

Keith stopped dead in the doorway, tugging his hand back out of Shiro's grasp. Shiro turned back to him, confused, but then it dawned on him that Keith, in fact, hadn't left the room since his awakening. Only one solution came to mind. 

He scooped up the boy once more and carried him out. Keith latched onto his neck, trembling. 

"Don't worry, I'm not going to let anything hurt you," Shiro muttered just loud enough for Keith to hear. It seemed to work, and Keith's trembling stopped. 

Shiro was just stepping out into the hallway, the word "Adam" barely leaving his mouth, when Adam's voice was echoing back to him from the kitchen. 

"Takashi, you just had lunch an hour ago, if you are already hungry-" 

"No, no!" Shiro assured, reaching the kitchen counter and setting Keith down in a chair. Adam glanced at him curiously. "Keith wants mulberries, so I thought he could try some jam."

Adam cocked an eyebrow, setting his screwdriver down on the stovetop. He had been trying to fix the dishwasher all morning to no avail. "Will he eat it?" He asked. "Because I'm tired of giving the raccoons free meals. By the way, it's your turn to straighten up the garbage cans." 

"I'll eat it if he doesn't."

"I told you to start finishing your meals." 

Shiro ignored the comment and sauntered up to the cabinet and pulling out their jar of mulberry jam and a spoon out of the drawer. 

"You are not feeding him straight from the jar," Adam warned. 

"I'm not going to let him have the whole jar. Just a spoonful to see if he likes it." 

Adam hummed and returned to his work. 

Shiro held the spoon to Keith, letting him look at it first. "Wanna try it?" Je asked. 

Keith was cautious. He glared at the sticky goop before giving it a good sniff. He must have recognized the smell of mulberries, and poked it with his finger and licked it off. Happy, he leaned over and bit the spoon just above the bowl and sucked the jam out of it. Shiro laughed. 

"Adam, Adam," he said, "look at this." 

Adam looked over his shoulder at the two and snorted, shaking his head with a smile. 

"Do you like it?" Shiro asked Keith enthusiastically. Keith nodded with the same energy, spoon still in his mouth. Shiro pulled the spoon out with a pop and put it in Keith's hand, showing him how to hold it. He then set the jar on the counter in front of Keith. 

He moved to the other side of the kitchen and pulled out their almost empty bread bag. 

"What are you doing?" Adam stared him down from the corner of his eye. 

Shiro put on his best innocent act. "Making toast," he replied. He shifted on his feet, swishing his hips a little. "Thought he might try some. Be better than just jam for… what is this? Lunch still?" 

"Why can't you just eat the lunch I make you?" Adam groaned. 

"I told you it isn't for me," Shiro snatched the toast midair as it popped out the toaster, and placed the slices on a plate. He twirled on his heel then gave Adam a coy smile. "I don't know why you won't believe me." 

Adam huffed, cheeks red. He glared at the dishwasher instead of his fiancé. "You're good, Shirogane." 

Shiro chuckled, stopping as he passed Adam back to the counter and cupped his cheek, raising his face to meet his in a kiss. 

"Only for you, future-mister Shirogane."

Adam smirked. "You sure you don't want to be future-mister Wright?" 

"We'll see," Shiro said with a wink. 

Shiro returned to Keith to find he had already eaten a good portion of the jar's contents, and another portion was smeared on his face and chin. There were even bits sticking in his hair. 

"I told you not to let him eat from the jar." 

"I know, sweetheart, I know." 

Keith watched Shiro sit in the chair next to him and set the plate down. He put his nose over the toast and smelled it. 

"Try it," Shiro offered. He picked up a piece for himself and took the jamjar out of Keith's hand. He shook a bit of it out onto his toast and smoothly set the jar back on the counter within Keith's reach. He folded his toast and took a bite. 

"See?" He said around his food. "Good."

Keith hesitantly grabbed a piece of toast and mirrored Shiro's actions. He almost dropped the jar, considering his tiny hands, but Shiro stabled it for him. Keith smushed the sides of his toast together and ate it. 

He trilled in approval. A giant grin plastered itself on his face. Keith chewed his jam sandwich happily, and Shiro watched, relieved the kid finally chose to eat something. He smiled at Adam before returning his gaze to Keith. 

His smile dropped though as Keith's hair, starting from the roots, began to fade. It was as if a wave had washed through his hair, killing the deep rich color and leaving it a dark grey. 

He and Adam shared a worried look. 

_ "Mörë jäm!"  _ Keith chirped, and Shiro grabbed the jar. 

"It's all gone buddy," he said, and Keith looked about to cry. He smiled at the young boy and picked him up. "It's okay, we'll get some more. But, right now, you need a bath."

* * *

Over the next few days, Keith's complexion, hair, and eyes paled. It wasn't in small, unnoticeable increments, but in sudden spurts. And there seemed to be a pattern with it. Whenever Keith learned a new skill or eat a new food. Or when he started to make clear conversation. He still had his accent but could form sentences and even paragraphs. Neither Adam nor Shiro had any clue of what was happening, and, despite his outward changes, Keith was excited. He moved around the cabin and claimed his space confidently. 

But he especially liked the window. 

He kept chanting  _ "Mülbërrŷ, mülbërrŷ!" e _ very time he approached the window, just like he had the first time he heard the word. Shiro began to suspect he wasn't asking for jam. 

So, he took Keith on a trail hike towards the place where he found him. 

Keith knew exactly where to go. The exact point when they were supposed to leave the trail, the distance to the clearing. Everything was as it was the night Shiro found him. 

Shiro watched Keith dart into the open space, spinning around while looking at the grey sky. He tumbled a bit, still getting used to the boots and clothing Adam had bought for him when they realized his stay wasn't as temporary as they first thought. A soft smile graced Shiro's face. He propped himself against a tree on the edge of the forest. 

"Do you remember this place?" He asked. 

Keith spun back to face him, clicking the heels of his boots together. He stood about 10 feet off in the middle of the clearing. 

_ "Yës!"  _ Keith answered. He pointed at the mulberry bush in the dead center.  _ "Thät wäs mŷ nëst."  _

"Your nest?" Shiro pushed himself off the tree and approached Keith. "So were you born there?" 

Keith shrugged.  _ "Mämmä häd më änd püt më thërë. Shë säïd shë wöüld bë rïght bäck."  _

Shiro swallowed nervously. "How long were you there until I showed up?" 

Keith's face fell. He shook his head.  _ "Mänŷ däŷs." _

Likely his mother had abandoned him, Shiro considered. But that didn't explain the explosion. 

"What happened that night I found you?" 

Keith didn't answer immediately. He just turned back to the mulberry bush and plucked a few late-season berries. He popped them in his mouth. The black juice stained his lips. Shiro thought he had forgotten about the question entirely, as four-year-olds tend to do. However, he proved him wrong when he turned back to face him and beckoned for Shiro to get on his level. 

Shiro did. 

Keith kissed Shiro's forehead with his black-stained lips. 

Then night fell. 

Shiro found himself standing in the clearing with his flashlight in hand. He flicked it on, and it stuttered before giving him that much-needed beam of yellow light. He scanned the area to find himself in a spider's den. 

It had to be. Webs netted the tree branches, creating walls of thick, sturdy silk. The strings wove up into the sky, creating a canopy. Dead birds hung like grotesque decorations. The sticky white strands littered the ground, and Shiro had to yank his feet up to his chest to take each step. 

He shivered in his boots. He wasn't going to even lie about it. 

All that was missing was a giant spider to slink down from the tops of the den to devour him, and he really didn't like that image. 

A rustle ahead brought his attention back to his surroundings. He shined his flashlight in the direction of the sound to see the mulberry bush. The foliage wobbled as if something was inside. He saw a few shadows spray out of the bush like it was a sprinkler. As he inched closer, he saw that they were snakes, half-eaten. 

If there was a time to run, it would be now. 

But Shiro didn't run. He stayed put, watching the bush wiggle and wobble like a live beast. He barely noticed the web about him vibrating with movement. 

Clicking. He heard clicking. He turned to see exactly the beast he feared approaching from the massive web, expertly shuffling on all eight hairy legs straight to him. 

And through him. 

Shiro gagged. The spider was standing right in the middle of his body as if it were just a mist it had to cross through. It didn't make sense, but what did anymore? He could feel it though. The hairs tickling his legs through his pants. The curve of its body. He didn't like this. He really didn't like this. 

The spider began tearing at the mulberry bush. And that's when Shiro heard an agonizing scream. 

He recognized it. It was Keith. 

A small body darted up into the air and straight into the web. The spider reoriented and charged towards its prey, fangs dripping. It took a massive bite out of the small creature, tearing a wing to tatters. Shiro could only watch as Keith's body went limp. 

A shout from the other side of the clearing rang, and Shiro snapped his head in that direction. A figure stood in a circle of light. At first, Shiro thought some sort of angel appeared with wings, a halo, the whole nine yards, but when he aimed his flashlight at them, he saw the same, piercing red gaze that Keith had that night. The lights were like sparklers, consuming the strands of the web, crackling. 

And that's when the explosion happened. 

Shiro sat on the ground, ears ringing and vision blurring. He tried the whole head between the knees trick to gain some sight back, but it did little to help. When it did finally return, he felt a presence beside him, and he looked up to see a young girl placing Keith back into the mulberry bush. 

When Shiro came back to reality, he found himself sitting on the ground in front of Keith. His hair was void of all color, white as a blank page, save for a stripe of dark grey in his bangs that matched the color of his eyes. The poor boy looked at him solemnly with tears budding in the corners of his eyes. Shiro scrambled to his hands and knees and wrapped his arms tight around him. Keith sunk into the embrace, tears falling freely. 

"You can't go back now, can you?" Shiro wasn't sure Keith would know, but, like himself, it seemed to be an unspoken truth. They knew. They didn't know how. But they knew. 

* * *

"Keith! Keith!" 

Four years and a new friend later, an eight-year-old Lance tackled Keith to the ground, sitting on the boy's back, making his wings splay out with his arms and legs. 

"Gët öff më, Läncë!" Keith shouted, kicking his legs. Lance only smirked, sticking his tongue out with a "bleh" sound. 

"No!" Lance leaned forward on his hands to where he was hanging his head over his mothy friend's. "Besides, I have a question." 

"Whät." Keith glared. It was half-hearted. 

"When's your birthday?" 

Keith furrowed his brow, trying to figure out the answer to that question. Shiro and Adam never used the term "birthday" before with him. They also bought him things quite often so he didn't know if there was a special occasion for any of them. Unless there was a difference in the gifts. He remembered one summer they got him a giant jam jar. He was very happy with that one. 

"Don't tell me you don't have a birthday!" Lance gasped. Before Keith could open his mouth to protest, Lance was yelling again. 

"UNCLE ADAM!!" 

"What is it, Lance?" 

"WHEN'S KEITH'S BIRTHDAY!?" 

Adam poked his head from out of his and Shiro's bedroom. He contemplated a response but chose against it. He ducked back in the room, and the pair of children could hear shuffling from that area of the house. Muffled voices grew louder, and he and Shiro were joining them in the living area.

"So why do you want to know about Keith's birthday?" Adam asked, sitting on the arm of the couch. 

Of course, Lance's quick answer was "Surprise." Adam chuckled. 

"Keith doesn't have a set birthday," Shiro explained from his place beside Adam. "He has more of an adoption day rather than a birthday." 

"Oh." Shiro and Adam waited for Lance to ask more questions, and were prepared to answer, but, instead, Lance just repeated, "So when's his adoption day?"

Shiro smiled. "October 23rd." 


End file.
